More than three and a half years after 20-year-old Megan Ashley Anderson was slain at her workplace in Eveleth, Jesaiah Lee Carlson has admitted to murdering the Bear River-Cook woman.

The 32-year-old Two Harbors man pled guilty to the charge of second-degree murder on Monday after reaching an agreement with the St. Louis County Attorney’s office last week. His defense attorneys proposed the plea bargain to the county.

Carlson had been scheduled to begin trial on April 27 on two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, and faced a mandatory life sentence in prison.

Under the agreement, Carlson will be sentenced to a maximum of 40 years in jail, nearly double the normal maximum of 25 years and five months for a person with no previous criminal record. The maximum was increased because of Carlson’s admission to unusual cruelty in the murder. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 27.

Carlson will be required to serve at least two-thirds of his sentence, which includes time already served while awaiting trial. He would be eligible for release after 23 years.

At Monday’s court appearance, the victim’s mother, Robyn Anderson, objected to the plea bargain, stating that her family believed that a jury trial would have resulted in a mandatory life sentence for Carlson.

Officials, however, felt it was in the public’s best interests to agree to the plea bargain as opposed to taking a chance in front of a jury, according to Assistant St. Louis County Attorney Gordon Coldagelli.

“We have guaranteed results that will keep this man in prison for the next 23 years and he will be on parole for 13 years after his release,” said Coldagelli. “In addition, he has to register as a predator and his DNA will be placed in the data bank with the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.”

Coldagelli said the decision to agree to the plea bargain was based on potential problems that could arise in the case, which included more than 3,000 pages of reports and statements, and the uncertainty that always accompanies a jury trial.

“We weighed all of that carefully,” said Coldagelli, who said he also consulted with other prosecutors before reaching a decision. “We felt it was in the best interests of public safety to accept the plea. I hope it brings closure to the Anderson family and to the area communities.”

Charges against Carlson

Carlson was arrested and charged with Anderson’s murder two weeks after she was found stabbed to death at Durkee Signs and Graphics in Eveleth, where she worked.

Carlson was selling children’s books and cutting boards in the area for Allstar Advertising of Duluth around the time of the murder, according to a criminal complaint filed at the time of his arrest.

News of the death of Anderson, who graduated in 2005 from Cook High School, rippled through the community stung by the brutality of her death.

“She was a sweetheart with a heart of gold and a great sense of humor,” said Matt Zupancich, owner of Zup’s Food Market where Anderson had worked for four years. Megan’s mother and brothers, Jesse and Brett, had also worked at the store. “You get pretty tight. They become part of your family”

At Anderson’s funeral service, the Rev. Bruce Dissell addressed the hurt that the community felt at the loss of a young woman.

“I talked about the terrible hurt and awful anger that people feel,” he told the Timberjay in 2007. “And the Lord is also angered. But we have to try to focus on the deep love that the Lord has for us and that Megan is experiencing even today. We really do have a Lord that reaches out a hand to us at our worst times as well as our best times.”

A scholarship was established in Anderson’s memory and pink wrist bands urging folks to remember Megan adorned many of her friends and family.

According to the complaint, Carlson told investigators he couldn’t recall what happened during the time frame in which the murder occurred. A knife was discovered in Carlson’s car that contained DNA that would exclude 97.8 percent of the world’s population, but would not exclude Anderson.

Carlson was initially charged in September 2007 with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. The charges were amended to first-degree murder by a grand jury in May 2009.

The trial was delayed repeatedly. Citing pretrial reports on the case, Carlson’s attorneys sought a change ofa venue and later attempted to have the first-degree murder indictment by a grand jury dismissed.

At Monday’s court appearance, Carlson continued to claim he suffered a blackout during Anderson’s murder and said he had had blackouts prior to that day. Although Carlson never confessed to killing Anderson, he acknowledged responsibility for what happened to Anderson and added that he believed a jury would have convicted him.

Coldagelli said there was no medical evidence that Carlson suffered from blackouts nor had there been an attempt to use mental illness as a defense by his attorneys.

Meanwhile, Carlson and his wife, Lindsey, still face other charges related to the case, including alleged tampering with potential evidence.

According to a criminal complaint, Carlson told his wife during a taped phone call to destroy two computer compact dics being sought by authorities. Jesaiah Carlson faces a felony charge for aiding an accomplice after the face while his wife has been charged with aiding an offender and conspiracy to aid an offender.